by Adam Thas & Alison Thas
Last year, Alison and I decided to review three movies at once after finding out that the world gifted us three wine-related holiday rom-coms. This year, however, we were gifted two movies involving America’s favorite Sunday activity: Football. So, much like Jake Paul vs Tyson, we strap in for yet another Battle Royal between the two heavyweights.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending this year’s Christmas Movie Battle Royal between two movies at the top of their game. Adding to the drama is that each movie is coming from Hallmark or Lifetime, two of the original networks that made these types of movies popular. Introducing your first competitor: From the network that brought you Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, The Enchanted Christmas Cake, and Planes, Trains and Christmas Trees (Yes, these are all actual movies, we didn’t make them up), coming in at 1 hour and 27 minutes, Lifetime Network’s Christmas in the Spotlight.
Alison: Going into this one, all I knew was that it was “Based off of Taylor and Travis.” Truth be told, I am a Swiftie, so I was excited to see this one because in all the years I’ve been watching these types of movies I’ve never seen one that is actually based off of something in this way. It’s unusual watching this one because, while we know it’s based on Travis and Taylor, they still need to have a movie with things like story and drama. In this version, we follow Bowyn Sykes (Jessica Lord), who is one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. After one of her concerts she meets Drew Gonville (Laith Wallschleger), a football player for the “Bombers.” The two of them very quietly and covertly begin a relationship that is quickly strained once it comes to light that they are dating. We then follow them along on the journey of having to be in love very publicly.
Having just watched Merry Gentlemen and Christmas on the Ranch, where the main characters struggle to have any type of chemistry, I have to admit that our two main characters in Christmas in the Spotlight have the chemistry that I was searching for in the previous movies. For a movie that is on Lifetime, it also moves very quickly and is way more sexualized than I’m used to in these movies. Usually it takes a while for the main characters to “get physical,” but in this case it happens quick. There are some cute side stories like Drew’s niece (and huge Bowyn Sykes fan) being the only person who knows they’re dating and a nice final scene, but otherwise it sticks to the normal plot we see in all of these movies. The part of this one that I was not expecting, though, was the incessant shout-outs to the Swifties in the audience. As an example, at one point a TMZ-type show when finds out Drew and Bowyn are dating, and rather than saying “the chemistry” between them, it talks about “the alchemy” between them. If you aren’t a Swiftie and that reference went over your head (it’s a name of one of Taylor Swift’s songs, BTW), then it did its job as being a shout-out only to the Taylor Swift fans in the audience. If something like this happened once or twice it may be cute, however it’s constant. Every few minutes there seems to be some Easter Egg for the Swifties, to the point where it drifted from cute to annoying.
Adam: Well, apparently the entirety of America is in the Taylor Swift “splash zone” because now we have an unofficial holiday movie about her. Last week, I mentioned that the holiday rom-com genre has become so saturated with the same type of movie that the name of the game now is your gimmick, so one based on the most popular pop star on the planet wasn’t really an “if” but a “when.” It’s been a while since Alison and I watched a Lifetime movie, but I have to be honest that, knowing the premise of the movie, I was really curious about it. Christmas in the Spotlight is interesting in that it's hindered by being so blatantly about the Swift-Kelce romance, but because it has an obvious thematic gimmick it's allowed to break a few of the norms established by so many movies in the genre. Nearly all of these holiday rom-coms can best be described as a Rachel and Ross style “will they or won’t they,” where we are teased along the way with scenes of the two main characters almost kissing but don’t until the last few minutes. Christmas in the Spotlight does not wait for both characters to get together, but rather drives the story with how both characters deal with the public nature of a very passionate love affair. Alison and I have gotten so used to the normal pacing of these types of movies that when the main characters first kiss we turned to each other and said “Wow, that was quick.”
While Christmas in the Spotlight does break a few of the norms we’ve come to expect, it can’t help but fall into some of the same holes we see over and over. There are some good scenes that feel very real, like Drew awkwardly accompanying Bowyn to an industry party or a confrontation between Drew and his brother at a family party. They then taint the good things by mixing in the manufactured drama and misunderstandings that we’ve seen so many times in these types of movies. The bad scenes and tropes are balanced out, though, by some great casting with good performances. All the people in these holiday rom-coms always are attractive; however, in this one they needed a “pop star” and not the usual “girl next door” we tend to get. Jessica Lord is stunning, can dance, and brings the type of charisma the part needed. She’s paired up with Laith Wallschleger, who plays a very convincing “jock” but is still likable enough that we root for him.
Alison mentioned the ridiculous amount of winks and nudges they throw in the direction of Swifties and it unfortunately pulled me right out of the plot every time. I honestly wish I could watch this movie not knowing anything at all about Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce, because between the performances and slight changes in the plot structure I liked this one. Unfortunately, if it wasn’t for the Swift gimmick we likely wouldn’t get this movie in the first place, so I don’t know if this one ever sees the light of day without it.
Our next competitor, from the network that has brought you such classics like Mistletoe Over Manhattan, Sense, Sensibility, and Snowmen, and Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (Once again, all real), at a whopping 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Hallmark Channel’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
Alison: I didn’t know what to expect from this one because while it doesn’t have anything to do with Taylor Swift, it does star a Kelce (Donna Kelce, Travis’s mom). This was the first Hallmark movie we watched this year and it was nice to go back to the channel where I first started watching these type of movies years ago. Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story follows Alana Higman (Hunter King) and her family as they pursue notoriety for their Chiefs-themed store by being named “Fan of the Year.” In their pursuit, they cross paths with Derrick Taylor (Tyler Hynes), a marketing executive with the Chiefs. At some point during the movie, it is revealed that Alana and her family have what they believe is a magic hat that whenever it is worn, the Chiefs end up going to the Super Bowl. The part that struck me as someone who isn’t that into football or the Chiefs for that matter was how Derrick is used as our “entrance” into the football world. In Holiday Touchdown, there are a lot of cameos from current or past Chiefs players. I have no idea who any of them are, and at the beginning Derrick does not either. While Derrick works for the Chiefs, he’s not a fan, and whenever a player is introduced for a cameo it is followed by Alana explaining who that person is.
Holiday Touchdown is cute and has all the charm that I hope to get out of these movies. From the decorations to the hot cocoa, it was nice to just be there. Alana has a great relationship with her family and it was a positive trip to join Derrick on as he engages with Alana’s quirky family. Unfortunately, this one suffers from an ending so cheesy it is borderline insufferable. Alana’s choices toward the end of the movie became childish in a way that made her unlikable to the point where you aren’t really rooting for her anymore. Overall it was fine, but not something at the top of my list.
Adam: For those of you who are not familiar with the genre, each year Hallmark Channel releases 30-35 new holiday movies, averaging about three new ones each weekend as part of their “Countdown to Christmas.” Much like a regular movie studio, these networks have “Tentpole” movies that they put the most money and advertising behind. Also just like movie studios, there are specific dates that will reach more viewers than usual. In the case of the holiday rom-com, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the big one, with most people having finished their shopping and just wanting to chill out in front of the television. This year all the advertising and hype went to Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. It’s an obvious choice: take the winningest team over the past five seasons in America’s most popular game, put some players and coaches in it, give Donna Kelce a role, mix it with a little bit of the Hallmark movie formula, and you have your big movie of the year. Hallmark included this one in all their advertising and on their “Countdown to Christmas” calendar put this one in red.
Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for attending this year’s Christmas Movie Battle Royal between two movies at the top of their game. Adding to the drama is that each movie is coming from Hallmark or Lifetime, two of the original networks that made these types of movies popular. Introducing your first competitor: From the network that brought you Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever, The Enchanted Christmas Cake, and Planes, Trains and Christmas Trees (Yes, these are all actual movies, we didn’t make them up), coming in at 1 hour and 27 minutes, Lifetime Network’s Christmas in the Spotlight.
Having just watched Merry Gentlemen and Christmas on the Ranch, where the main characters struggle to have any type of chemistry, I have to admit that our two main characters in Christmas in the Spotlight have the chemistry that I was searching for in the previous movies. For a movie that is on Lifetime, it also moves very quickly and is way more sexualized than I’m used to in these movies. Usually it takes a while for the main characters to “get physical,” but in this case it happens quick. There are some cute side stories like Drew’s niece (and huge Bowyn Sykes fan) being the only person who knows they’re dating and a nice final scene, but otherwise it sticks to the normal plot we see in all of these movies. The part of this one that I was not expecting, though, was the incessant shout-outs to the Swifties in the audience. As an example, at one point a TMZ-type show when finds out Drew and Bowyn are dating, and rather than saying “the chemistry” between them, it talks about “the alchemy” between them. If you aren’t a Swiftie and that reference went over your head (it’s a name of one of Taylor Swift’s songs, BTW), then it did its job as being a shout-out only to the Taylor Swift fans in the audience. If something like this happened once or twice it may be cute, however it’s constant. Every few minutes there seems to be some Easter Egg for the Swifties, to the point where it drifted from cute to annoying.
While Christmas in the Spotlight does break a few of the norms we’ve come to expect, it can’t help but fall into some of the same holes we see over and over. There are some good scenes that feel very real, like Drew awkwardly accompanying Bowyn to an industry party or a confrontation between Drew and his brother at a family party. They then taint the good things by mixing in the manufactured drama and misunderstandings that we’ve seen so many times in these types of movies. The bad scenes and tropes are balanced out, though, by some great casting with good performances. All the people in these holiday rom-coms always are attractive; however, in this one they needed a “pop star” and not the usual “girl next door” we tend to get. Jessica Lord is stunning, can dance, and brings the type of charisma the part needed. She’s paired up with Laith Wallschleger, who plays a very convincing “jock” but is still likable enough that we root for him.
Our next competitor, from the network that has brought you such classics like Mistletoe Over Manhattan, Sense, Sensibility, and Snowmen, and Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (Once again, all real), at a whopping 1 hour and 30 minutes, The Hallmark Channel’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story.
Adam: For those of you who are not familiar with the genre, each year Hallmark Channel releases 30-35 new holiday movies, averaging about three new ones each weekend as part of their “Countdown to Christmas.” Much like a regular movie studio, these networks have “Tentpole” movies that they put the most money and advertising behind. Also just like movie studios, there are specific dates that will reach more viewers than usual. In the case of the holiday rom-com, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the big one, with most people having finished their shopping and just wanting to chill out in front of the television. This year all the advertising and hype went to Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story. It’s an obvious choice: take the winningest team over the past five seasons in America’s most popular game, put some players and coaches in it, give Donna Kelce a role, mix it with a little bit of the Hallmark movie formula, and you have your big movie of the year. Hallmark included this one in all their advertising and on their “Countdown to Christmas” calendar put this one in red.
I don’t know what they do at Hallmark, but this one is instantly charming. From the decorations to the overall vibe of the movie, it just has a feeling that so many of these other holiday rom-coms try to capture by throwing lights and snow everywhere, but this one actually captures it. Adding to the charm is a good cast led by Hunter King, who fits the “non-threatening-girl-next-door” image Hallmark loves. Surrounding her is a bunch of supporting actors who can best be described as “that guy from that thing.” It’s fun and lighthearted, creating situations where the peak of drama is someone not believing that a hat is magic. I was on board with this one. It had a lot of things to like in it, including a cameo from Richard Christie of Howard Stern Show fame as a Chiefs superfan. Like so many movies, though (not just the ones in the genre), this one starts with a good idea and decent execution and completely falls apart at the end. Their heart was in the right place and they wanted to make it big and epic ending, but just didn’t have the money to do it the right way so it comes off cheap and awkward.
AND YOUR WINNER IS….
This was a close one, folks. The two movies both have football, both have charm, and both have things to like and not like. We both went back and forth with them but ultimately asked ourselves one question: If we had to revisit one movie, which one would it be? Despite the charm and overall vibe, we both agreed that Holiday Touchdown was asking too much for us to believe the drama and had a weird ending, so while the constant Swiftie shout-outs were super annoying, we agreed that this year's Holiday Movie Battle Royal winner is Christmas in the Spotlight.
See you all next Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment